The best comebacks for the 7 worst workplace mistakes

Since different mix-ups require different solutions, we have put together a come back list for these 7 common work place mistakes.

They might help cut you some slack.

1. You miss a very important meeting

When you come in, don’t act as if you did not forget. You might be smooth, but people will notice. Slide in quietly and take your boss to the side. Tell her you honestly forgot and that you’ll adjust right away. Don’t speak if you’re not up on the subject.

Rather, listen and take notes so that you can work back from there after the meeting. Take note of upcoming meetings and write them down immediately so that next time, you’ll be the first one in the room. Prepare yourself cautiously and never repeat this in the future. Before you know, no one remembers that one time you forgot.

2. You made quite the typo

Your boss asked you to send a crucial e-mail regarding an important deal, and you used the verb? Let it be. Messed up a time-schedule? Correct it.

But then, there are the real pain-in-the-behind typos. Let’s say you got a little enthusiastic and spelled your biggest clients last name ‘Yerk’ as J-E-R-K. Normally, this does not happen to you, so don’t beat yourself up – what’s done is done. Send out an email with an apology. Keep it light – perhaps you could humorously point out how close these letters are to each other on ALL of our keyboards.

3. You ate someone’s sandwich

This is super disrespectful. Someone was counting on that.

We can’t help you here.

4. You had the best time at the office party

…And may have told your handsome co-worker that “you love a man in a uniform”. And now you can’t remember whether you kept talking after that… Oh dear. You’ll still have to walk into that office, so you better come correct and look a hundred when you do.

Be fresh and in a good mood when you enter, and when someone comments on your frills from the night before, you say: “I’m sure you had a great time. Wasn’t I charming?” or “Man, that was some champagne”.

5. You deleted a document that you can’t get back anymore

You better pray. The century of technology has provided us with so many comforts – but my, oh my, with it comes the stress of saving, saving-as and… well, losing.

If this problem is beyond your technical skills, get someone who can fix it for you.

6. You’ve gotten into it with your co-worker

He’d been on your nerves for weeks and now it’s come to an altercation. He said some things and so did you, and now it’s hard to concentrate around each other. If you guys can’t solve this issue together, tell your boss.

Either go together and address the issue in a respectful and mature manner, or book some solo time with your boss to discuss what you think might be a solution to the problem.

7. You lack sleep and therefore empathy

You’ve been putting in extra hours and it’s made you cranky as can be. Although you try to leave that at home, people notice you’re not in a happy mood. If you can, take a day off, or work from home for a day. Being in a different, lower-pressure environment might help you snap out of the funky mood.

Get some sleep. Eat a decent meal. Do a fifteen-minute work out, and right before bed, read a few pages from your favorite book. Then watch yourself turn up at the job refreshed. After all, rent’s up and you need this money.

These tips should help save the day. And if they do, send us some jollof too. Also, if you have other tips for making an office come back, please share the SLA community.